Several different types of beverage brewing systems are known in the art. For example, percolators and drip-type coffee makers have long been used to make regular or “American”-type coffee. Hot water may be passed through a container of coffee grinds or other materials so as to brew the coffee. The coffee then drips into a pot or a cup. Likewise, pressure-based devices have long been used to make espresso-type beverages. Hot, pressurized water may be forced through the espresso grinds or other materials so as to brew the espresso. The espresso then may flow into the cup. Many other types of brewing systems are in use.
One of the drawbacks with these known brewing systems may focus on their use in high volume restaurants or other types of retail outlets. For example, a high quality espresso beverage simply may take too much time to brew with conventional equipment in a high volume restaurant. Similarly, the amount of time it may take to seep a cup of tea also may be too long. As a result, the beverage may be inferior or a customer may choose to go elsewhere for his or her brewed beverage.
Further, although regular or American coffee may be made in sufficient quantities for a high volume restaurant or in any other type of establishment, the customer may prefer a freshly brewed beverage immediately at that time and at that location. Brewing smaller amounts of coffee or other beverages, however, may not be practical or economical from a time or a volume point of view for the restaurant or other type of establishment.
A single serving coffee and tea dispenser is shown in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,134 to Green, entitled “Coffee and Tea Dispenser.” This patent describes and claims a beverage system with a transport assembly, a loading assembly, an injection station, and an ejection station. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 6,786,134 is incorporated herein by reference in full. Specifically, the patent shows the use an injector head maneuverable about an injection frame via a support plate, an idler wheel, and an eccentric cam. Likewise, the ejector system uses a lift pad operated via a solenoid and a sweep arm. Although such a device provides single servings of coffee, tea, or other types of quality beverages in an efficient time frame, there is a desire to develop further the components of the dispenser described therein.